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Change of mind: A selection of courses for school-leavers to consider

A selection of familiar and less familiar courses outlining some of the many options open to school-leavers this year

Animal care assistant students have gone on to work in animal grooming, animal health and animal rescue centres, as well pet shops and zoos, or to start their own business. Photograph: iStock

Peter McGuire
Tue May 14 2024 - 03:01

Leaving Certificate exams and the CAO change of mind will dominate the next few months for most sixth year students. The stress can be overwhelming, and can lead to courses outside the CAO being sidelined or forgotten. But the CAO is no longer the only game in town, with PLCs, traineeships, apprenticeships and, in the past year, National Tertiary Office (NTO) courses offering both valuable qualifications in their own right and an alternative route to third level.

Under pressure, students may also forget that it’s not all about level eight courses either; there are many level six and seven courses that allow them to progress to level eight.

With this in mind, we have put together a broad selection of familiar and less familiar courses – some involving application through the CAO process, and some outside of it – outlining just some of the many options open to school-leavers this year.

Animal and Equine: Animal Care Assistant (CAO code: 5M2768) at Dunboyne College of Further Education

Dunboyne College is widely regarded in the further education sector as one of the most innovative and forward-thinking colleges.

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Students on its one-year level five animal care assistant course study modules including animal welfare, veterinary assisting skills, biology, communications and dog grooming. Students have gone on to work in animal grooming, animal health and in animal rescue centres, as well pet shops and zoos, or in their own businesses.

Over the past decade, the quality of post-Leaving Cert (PLC) courses have improved dramatically, and they’re no longer seen as merely a fallback option for those who do not get the CAO points they hope for.

Many offer a strong vocational qualification in their own right but have also developed progression links with the third-level sector, and graduates of this course can avail of opportunities in linked veterinary nursing and veterinary assistant courses in UCD, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Munster Technological University (MTU) and Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), or progress into agricultural science, animal science, bio-veterinary and wildlife biology courses.

Arts: BA – Denominated arts programmes at the University of Galway (different CAO course codes)

Arts and humanities degrees at University of Galway have always stood out. Photograph: iStock

There is no shortage of arts and humanities degrees on offer around the country, but those at the University of Galway have always stood out.

Instead of offering a selection of more familiar arts or humanities courses, denominated arts students might study one or two arts subjects in first year, alongside a speciality, before focusing on that speciality in year two and beyond.

So, for instance, students on the University of Galway’s BA degree in English and creative writing study creative writing, English and one other arts subject.

This is not always the case, however: students on the BA with human rights focus more on the legal frameworks, philosophical basis and historical development of human rights than on a second arts subject, while students on the BA in global languages focus primarily on languages.

In year three of these programmes, the focus tends to be on gaining real, hands-on, practical experience.

Construction: BSc – Bachelor of Science in Quantity Surveying (CAO code: DK834) at Dundalk IT

Quantity surveyors are, globally, in short supply. Photograph: iStock

This is a new, four-year, level eight honours degree course at Dundalk IT, offered through the college’s school of engineering.

Quantity surveyors are, globally, in short supply. Although parents and students can, understandably, be concerned about the construction industry’s job prospects in the event of an economic or property crash, quantity surveying graduates develop skills including project management, leadership, negotiation, strategic thinking and finance, which are highly in-demand across a range of industries, not just engineering.

Students on this course will learn modules including construction technology, legal principles, procurement and tendering, estimating and costing, project management, conflict avoidance and dispute avoidance. Students also take a work placement in year four.

Education: BEd – Bachelor of Education in Primary Teaching (CAO code: MH001) at Maynooth University

As well as the four-year BEd in primary teaching, Froebel also runs a four-year bachelor of education in primary teaching. Photograph: iStock

In 2013, Froebel College in Blackrock moved to – and became incorporated in – Maynooth University. It marked a number of firsts: the first time that primary teachers in Ireland were educated on a university campus, the first secular primary teacher training programme, and the first time that the full spectrum of teacher education, from preschool right through to adult and further education, was offered by one third-level institution.

More than 10 years on, graduates of the Froebel department of primary and early childhood education are trained to nurture the imaginations of children and develop their critical faculties, with active, student-centred approaches. Academic staff research is focused on classroom-based research.

As well as the four-year BEd in primary teaching, Froebel also runs a four-year bachelor of education in primary teaching (Gaeltacht), which focuses on primary teaching through Irish (MH002).

Engineering: BEng – Bachelor of Engineering at TU Dublin (CAO code: TU708), leading to specialisation in computer engineering or mechatronics

For students who know they are interested in engineering, it can be hard to decide which branch to pursue. Photograph: iStock

Engineering is a broad discipline, encompassing aerospace, biomedical, chemical, civil, electrical, mechanical and more. For students who know they are interested in engineering – a discipline centred around solving problems – it can be hard to decide which branch to pursue.

Luckily, more and more third-level institutions are offering a common entry programme, where students can get a taster of everything before making a decision down the line.

At TU Dublin, the first year of this three-year, level seven course on the Blanchardstown campus features a mix of computer, electrical, mechanical and robotics engineering.

At the end of year one, students can choose between entering year two of computer engineering or mechatronic engineering. After this, they become eligible to move into year four of a level eight honours degree for either the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Computer Engineering in Mobile Systems course or the Bachelor of Engineering in Mechatronic Engineering course, or they can choose to exit with their level seven qualification.

Financial services: International financial services programmes at the National College of Ireland

The National College of Ireland offers students the chance to study for an academic qualification alongside learning-on-the-job. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien

Apprenticeships have opened up a whole new world of options for students who may have struggled to get the CAO points they wanted, or who simply could not afford college.

Apprenticeships provide the chance to study for an academic qualification alongside learning-on-the-job – and earning money.

The National College of Ireland, based on Dublin’s docklands, offers a two-year, level six Higher Certificate in International Financial Services apprenticeship, and a two-year level eight Higher Diploma in Financial Services Analytics apprenticeship.

Both courses run part-time, with students working full-time (and, of course, being paid) in a leading financial services company.

Although there are minimum entry requirements, including a H7/ O6 grade in five Leaving Cert (or equivalent) subjects, application takes place outside the CAO.

Graduates have gone on to work in international financial services, specialising in either data analytics, financial technology (or “fintech”) and regulatory technology (or “regtech”). It is only the beginning, however; once in the door of these companies and with experience under your belt, there are excellent opportunities for further learning and career progression.

Landscape architecture: BSc – Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture (CAO code: DN120) at UCD

At UCD, the long-established four-year, level eight BSc in landscape architecture trains graduates to design habitats for humans and animals, improving the design of our cities and rural lands. Photograph: Alan Betson

Today, most jobs involve sitting at a desk, and this really isn’t for everyone; some neurodivergent people, in particular, may struggle to sit still all day.

At UCD, the long-established four-year, level eight BSc in landscape architecture trains graduates to design habitats for humans and animals, improving the design of our cities and rural lands. They design playgrounds, rooftop gardens, parks, streetscapes and cites; advising on waterbodies and countryside and wild habitats.

Students on this course will mostly learn in the studio, through individual and small group project work. In year three, there is an optional internship. Modules include landscape ecology, cell and plant biology, archaeology, climate policy and politics, city and spatial planning, and rural and landscape planning.

Graduates have gone on to work as professional landscape architects, and work in environmental and ecological policymaking, conservation and resource management, planning and urban design.

Social care: BSW – Bachelor of Social Work at Cork ETB and UCC

Students spend the first year of the programme at Morrison’s Island ETB campus in Cork, as well as taking weekly lectures at University College Cork. Photograph: iStock

Every year since the beginning of time, public and not-so-public figures line up to announce that they did not do great in school either, and that the CAO is not the be-all-and-end-all.

But these were often empty platitudes and that’s because, until relatively recently, there really were few options outside the CAO. Even students who did really well in their PLC course and met all the requirements to make it to college were, often, missing out on a college place because of random selection.

Since last year, students have been able to apply through the National Tertiary Office (NTO) for courses that begin in an ETB and continue in a higher-education institution, culminating in the award of a degree.

One such course is the Bachelor of Social Work, a four-year, level eight degree which qualifies students to register as a social worker in Ireland and abroad.

Students spend the first year of the programme at Morrison’s Island ETB campus in Cork, as well as taking weekly lectures at University College Cork (UCC). In years two, three and four, the course is based on the picturesque UCC campus.

NTO courses are designed to support students throughout the programme, with “embedded awards” meaning that, if they have to leave the programme for any reason before completing their final year, they will still be awarded an NFQ level five certificate in applied social studies.

Places are not awarded by CAO points but, instead, through a personal statement and an interview. There are no fees attached to the first year of NTO courses, but normal registration fees do apply in subsequent years.

Sports science and health: BSc – Bachelor of Science in Sports Science and Health at DCU (CAO code: DC202)

Sports science and health graduates have gone on to work in physiotherapy, gyms and more. Photograph: iStock

You don’t need to be an elite, professional athlete to have a career in sport.

Students on DCU’s four-year, level eight BSc in sports science and health course will learn all about health and human performance, and become advocates for healthy and active communities. Anatomy, behaviour change, coaching, nutrition, physiology, psychology and sociology are among the modules, with a work placement in third year.

Graduates of this course have gone on to work as performance analysts or coaches, lab technicians, health promotion officers, or further study in elite sport, strength and conditioning, nutrition, physiotherapy, advanced entry medicine and more. Several graduates work as sports development officers locally, regionally and nationally, while others are working as exercise consultants in gyms or fitness clubs.

Change of MindCAOLeaving CertificateThird Level